Lighter



1950 w. E. BECKJORD 2,517,166

LIGHTER Filed Nov. 9, 1945 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 1, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,517,166 LIGHTER William Edward Beckjord, Brooklyn, N. Y.

ApplicationNovember 9, 1945 Serial No. 627,604

This invention relates to pyrotechnic lighters and more particularly to an enclosed lighter mechanism that is actuated by a slide member on the periphery of thelighter body.

In the past, lighters have been constructed in various forms, round, square, etc. and the oncular form has usually been similar to a watch case with the stem as a means for opening the case to make the spark and wick mechanism available. It is also known to make the lighter in a circular form with a knob on the periphery to release or raise the spark and wick mechanism out of the case. However, in all such known mechanisms it is essential to position the sparking mechanism so that it may be manually manipulated.

It is an object of this invention to provide a lighter in which the case is not opened to operate the sparking mechanism, but in which a sliding motion of a portion of the case isthe means of actuating thesparking mechanism and at the same time uncovering the wick unit to provide a flame.

Another object of this invention is to provide a lighter of very simple construction with a minimum of parts.

A further object of this invention is to provide a lighter that is neat in appearance and that will efiiciently perform the function of sparking and uncovering the wick while held in the hand of an operator.

A further object of this invention is to provide a lighter that has the appearance of a compact and in which the lighter mechanism remains concealed.

Other objects will be apparent by reference to the accompanying drawings and the detailed description in which Fig. l is an enlarged cross sectional view illustrating the mechanism in the lighter,

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional View taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged elevational view in prospective of the lighter.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 there is indicated a housing or case II) in which the central portion i has been hollowed out to form a reservoir. The housing has a port I2 on one side in which an internal thread is cut, and a plug I 3 is threadably secured in this port. The port I2 is used to fill the lighter reservoir and when the plug I3 is inserted it is tightly fitted to be leak proof. A bore I4 is cut radially through the body l and a small portion l5 of the periphery of the housing body In is cut-out at one end of the bore M so that it 2 Claims. (Cl. 67-421) opens into the cut-out portion. The cut-out portion I5 is partially enclosed by two walls IB, ll. which support the spark wheel l8 mounted on shaft I9, the shaft being rotatably supported in thewalls i-6, i 1. The shaft is positioned directly above the bore I4 so that the spark wheel l8 will have its serrated surface slightly above the surface of the cut-out portion I5, and the serrated surface of the spark wheel will also rise very slightly above the outer periphery of the housing H]. A tube is secured in the bore l4, said tube extending from the outer periphery of the body H) to the surface of the cut-out portion l5. The tube 20 has a flint 2| protruding from its upper end and held in contact with the spark wheel by means of a spring 22, the spring is in turn compressed by a threadably secured plug 23. Thus it is apparent that when the hint 2| is positioned it will be pressed against the serrated surface of the spark wheel |18 with suflicient force to produce sparks when the wheel 18 is rotated. A bore 25 is out between the cut-out portion l5 and the reservoir i, this bore is positioned at the open portion of cut-out l5 and is preferably tapered to receive a plug 26 into which a wick 27 has been mounted. The wick 2'! extends into a quantity of cotton wadding 28 in the reservoir II. Two circular tracks or grooves 30 Of equal radius are cut one on each side of the body Ill, the grooves 30 are necessarily cut with a larger radius than the periphery of the plug I 3. An arcuate slide conforming to the contour of the external surface of the body I is formed with its two members 36, 31 having two turned over lips 38, 39 positioned into the tracks or grooves 30 and conforming to the radius of the grooves 36. Thus the slide 35 will be retained on the periphery of the body H). A pair of stops 40 and 4| limit the sliding movement of the slide 35. The slide 35 is provided with an open portion 42 which allows the flame from the wick 2'! to extend outside the lighter and also provides the necessary oxygen to the combustion of the aromatic fuel that may be carried by the wick 21. The slide 35 is also provided with a projecting portion 44 which may or may not be serrated to give a positive grip for the finger Of an operator.

It is apparent in operation that a flint may be easily and quickly installed by removing the plug 23 and spring 22 and inserting the flint 2| then, re-assembling the spring and plug and adjusting the plug to induce the proper pressure on the flint 2|. The plug 23 may also be formed with a hollow chamber to retain one or more extra flints. It is also apparent that a wick may actual use, the-lighter is held in the palm of the hand under the closed fingers, while the thumb is positioned on the portion 44, the thumb must then force the slide slightly against the lighterbody while moving it toward the stop 4|, the best results are obtained by moving the slide rapidly toward the stop position The movement of the slide which bears against the periphery' of the serrated surface of wheel l8 will a, cause sparks to be projected by the flint in the direction of the wick 21,, ,Since the wick is saturated with an aromaticfuel the vapor will quickly combust and theslide is in an open position at this time thus the flame from the wick will be projected up and above the periphery of the lighter. The flame maybe snuffedout by returning the slide to rest against the stop 40 thus covering the aperture and cutting oil the supply of oxygen.

It is apparent from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings that the invention disclosed hereinisnot, intended to be limited by this disclosure, but extends to all changes, modifications and equivalentswithin the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed. is:

1. A, lighter of circular amass, including a body portion havingua hollow center, a cut-out portion in the periphery of said body, a sparking mechanismuincludinga spark. wheel mounted in saidcut-out portion, a wick mounted in said hollowcenter. of said bodyand protruding into the.

said body, and said slide being limited in its movement by two stops, said slide cover bearing on the periphery of the spark wheel, means to move said slide cover while in contact with said spark wheel to operate said spark mechanism and provide a spark to ignite said wick, means to uncover said wick when actuating said spark mechanism, and means to cover said cut-out portion to snuff out said wick.

2. A lighter of circular formation, including a body portion having a hollow center, a cut-out portion in the periphery of said body, a sparking mechanism including a spark wheel mounted in said cut-out portion, a wick mounted in said hollow center of said body and protruding into the cut-out portion in juxtaposition to said sparking mechanism, a slide cover conforming to the periphery of the said body and slidably mounted in two equal radii tracks one on each side of said body, and said slide being limited in its movement to an, open or closed position by stop members, saidv slide cover bearingon the periphery of the spark wheel, means to apply pressure to said slide to move said slide cover while in contact with said spark wheel and operate said spark mechanism and provide a spark to said wick, means to uncover said wick when actuating said spark mechanism, and means to cover said cut-out portion to snufi out said wick.

WILLIAM EDWARD BECKJORD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

